On the 40th anniversary of Annie Hall 's release, I wish I could issue a gushing plea for everyone to revisit this classic film about two New Yorkers groping their way into (and out of) a relationship. I’d like to praise the sprightly and scatterbrained character of Annie Hall (Diane Keaton): her sunglasses worn indoors like a way-cooler Bono, her reckless driving, her fear of spiders and love of photography. Or rave about Annie Hall ’s inventive narrative structure, disrupting the traditional romantic comedy mould with cutaways, non-sequiturs, and breaks in the fourth wall.

I wish I could say that, 40 years on, Annie Hall is the honest, authentic epitome from which all other romantic comedies should be derived. In Annie Hall, we see a couple proceed through every phase of their relationship, from having a blazingly awkward first conversation to forging intimate banter to confronting the inevitability of an end. The rise and fall of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall’s romance is earned, built through naturalistic interactions at every stage. Essentially, the movie is steeped with an intimacy one would expect to see only in real life, not on screen.

Oh, I wish I could say all these things — because they’re true. As a work of art, Annie Hall is magnificent. But, unlike ancient statues dug from the ground with nary a signature from their artists, this isn’t art that exists on its own. It’s a product of its star and writer: Woody Allen, the Hollywood legend who's created so many iconic works of comedic cinema. And for its inseparability from the man, I can’t justify raving about Annie Hall, even while I recognise its artistry.

Trust me, though: It took me some time to come to this conclusion. For a while, I was caught in the web of Allen's craft, hypnotised like I’d fallen under a spell. What woke me up was a throwaway line that comes at the end of Annie Hall.

After Alvy’s arrested in L.A., his childhood friend reluctantly picks him up from jail. Clearly, Alvy has interrupted something. As we find out, what Alvy interrupted his friend's steamy rendezvous with 16-year-old twins. At that, I cringed in my seat. I remembered what I was watching, and who wrote it.

What a juxtaposition we find ourselves in. Woody Allen has written such vibrant, interesting women characters, ones whose legacies live off the screen, with Annie Hall as the most shining example.

And yet, Allen remains at the centre of a maelstrom of sexual assault accusations. These accusations came to a head when Dylan Farrow, Woody Allen’s adopted daughter with Mia Farrow, published an open letter in The New York Times describing, in graphic detail, her assault at the hands of her father. At the end of the letter, Farrow implicates all fans of Allen’s work when she says, “So imagine your 7-year-old daughter being led into an attic by Woody Allen. Imagine she spends a lifetime stricken with nausea at the mention of his name. Imagine a world that celebrates her tormenter.”

Unsurprisingly, Farrow’s letter unleashed a media storm of friends coming to Allen's defence, celebrities evading questions about their relationship to him, and fans' undergoing no small amount of soul-searching. And then, as the media tends to do, the focus moved to other, more glistening controversies, without doing Allen’s career substantial damage. Since 2014, Allen has unveiled Magic in the Moonlight, Cafe Society, and An Irrational Man, three star-studded movies. Clearly, Hollywood has forgiven Woody Allen — or at least seems to have stored the long history of accusations against him in some part of the brain where, like email passwords and coworkers’ birthdays, things are easily forgotten.

In 2016, Ronan Farrow, Allen's son with Mia Farrow, wrote his own plea for recognising Dylan's allegations in a column for The Hollywood Reporter. Farrow states his position plainly: "I believe my sister," he writes. But this isn't just about sibling loyalty, as Farrow elaborates. It's about confronting the inaction from media and A-listers that currently buffers and protects Allen's reputation. This kind of complacency has repercussions far beyond Allen himself, as Ronan insists, it's also about "[building] a culture where women like my sister are no longer treated as if they are invisible." Dylan's silencing sends a devastating signal to all women and sexual assault victims: If the assailant is powerful or well-respected enough, you will be ignored.

Should we separate art from the artist? I can’t speak for Emma Stone or Blake Lively, who both recently starred in Allen’s films, but I can speak for myself. In Annie Hall, Allen’s character constantly breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. After reading Ronan and Dylan's words about their father, I didn’t want him to speak to me.

At this point in the Woody Allen controversy, I’m unable to separate the art from the artist. I can't just pop some popcorn, watch Annie Hall, and stay silent. And in light such harrowing accounts from two of his children, how can anyone?

For that, I won’t be watching his new films, or celebrating Annie Hall ’s 40th anniversary. Rather, I’m mourning the loss of this film, whose artistic genius is overshadowed by the questionable character at its helm.

Annie Hall was released in cinemas on April 20, 1977.

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Some singers have residencies in Las Vegas. But Harry Styles will soon have one on The Late Late Show.

Host James Corden announced the news with a video on Tuesday. Apparently, Styles will play one new song on each episode of the CBS late-night show for a week next month. So from May 15 to May 18, it will be more like The Late Late Show with Harry Styles. The timing isn't coincidental; Styles' first solo album since One Direction's split will be released on May 12.

And if the performances aren't enough, Entertainment Weekly reports that Styles will appear in some of the show's segments that week, too.

Check out the video in which Corden makes the Late Late Show announcement below. It's a silly gag about Styles wanting to crash on the Late Late Show studio couch, but it works. And if you doubted the Brits' bromance was real, pay attention to their "no, you hang up first" argument on Facetime. You just can't fake that connection. (I mean, "Put down the phone, you silly sausage?" That's true friendship.)

The appearance may be a publicity stunt for Styles' album, but the press about his solo career is already off to a good start. Fans praised Styles for defending young girls' musical tastes in a recent Rolling Stone interview. And there's been a ton of buzz about whether the track "Ever Since New York" is about Styles' past relationship with Taylor Swift. Plus, Styles was incredibly likable during his recent appearance on Saturday Night Live.

The singer is reclaiming the conversation around his music and moving on from One Direction without being negative about his experience in the group. If a Late Late Show residency will help Styles' solo career, I'm all for it.

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Suffice it to say, things are complicated right now between America and Russia. The massive country has emerged as one of the most important players (and antagonists) in U.S. politics, but most Americans, especially those too young to remember the Cold War, know little about it beyond Putin, Pussy Riot, and probable hacking. Russia doesn't show up at the top of bucket-list destinations, it lacks modern pop culture exports, and the most-watched TV depictions of Russian people right now are on The Americans — a fictional story about Russian spies living in suburban Virginia in the '80s. Are we totally off-base here? And what do they think of us?

We traveled to St. Petersburg in March to get young women's thoughts on U.S.-Russo relationships, and whether they’re optimistic for the future or as cynical as the headlines assume. In the process, we encountered a wide range of viewpoints about our president; our pop culture heroes; and how Trump, the media, and propaganda have contorted what the American Dream, might, and exceptionalism look like on the other side. As for what Americans get wrong about Russians — the women's answers were more likely to include bears than espionage.

Editor's note: The interviews were translated from Russian and edited and condensed.

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It’s no surprise that Emma Watson has been dubbed a role model thanks to her activism for gender equality and consistent efforts to apply feminism to every aspect of her life. She even brought Gloria Steinem to an advance screening Beauty and the Beast to ensure that her portrayal of Belle got the feminist stamp of approval.

Although the traits we admire about Watson may appear effortless, she admits that being labeled a “role model” comes with a great deal of pressure. In the latest issue of Interview, Jessica Chastain praised the example that Watson sets for girls and young women by prioritising “education and authenticity over the empty calories of what social media can be.”

In keeping with her trademark authenticity, Watson got real about it all: “When people call me a role model it puts the fear of god into me, because I feel like I'm destined to fail,” she explained.

Watson has rightfully received high praise for her work as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, her feminist GoodReads book club, and careful consideration about the characters she portrays onscreen. But she’s also come under fire for certain issues — most recently, her participation in a braless photo shoot garnered criticism. Some claimed it made her a subpar feminist, while others labeled Watson a hypocrite because she questioned the "male voyeuristic" aspect of Beyoncé's self-titled album in a 2014 interview.

The bottom line is that you can’t please everyone all the time. Being under a microscope 24/7 means that all of Watson’s actions and words are scrutinised — and that pressure would affect anyone.

Chastain reminded Watson that “you can teach people that our failures are our greatest gifts in life.” Like everyone else in the world, Watson isn’t perfect and she’s bound to stumble once in awhile. But that in itself can be an important lesson to the young women who admire her — everyone makes mistakes and we can use them as an opportunity to learn and grow.

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As Trump approaches the 100 day mark, his administration has received yet another blow in its efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. On Tuesday, April 25, a federal judge in California blocked Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities.

The order sought to deny federal funding to so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that have vowed to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.

San-Francisco-based U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick, who was appointed by President Obama, ordered a nationwide preliminary injunction that will block enforcement of the executive order. The injunction will prevent the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from the over 300 local governments that have limited their cooperation with federal immigration officials.

“The Constitution vests the spending powers in Congress, not the President, so the Order cannot constitutionally place new conditions on federal funds,” Orrick wrote. “Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the President disapproves.”

Orrick added that the executive order, which Trump signed during his first week in office, violates the Fifth Amendment because the vague phrasing would deprive localities of funds that are rightfully theirs.

Furthermore, Trump’s order failed to clarify exactly what the administration defines as a “sanctuary city,” which has created confusion amongst local officials who need to determine whether or not their funding is at risk. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for for the Department of Homeland Security stated that a definition hasn’t been “finalised” and the department won’t cut any grants until the term is clarified.

"Today's decision is a historic affirmation of the U.S. Constitution's core principles — that the President cannot usurp powers not given to him, and that the federal government cannot use federal defunding to coerce local governments into becoming federal immigration enforcers," Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams said.

As Trump scrambles to secure at least one “victory” during his first 100 days in office, Orrick’s order is an important reminder that America’s judicial branch will be crucial to blocking future executive orders that potentially violate the Constitution.

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We're already getting excited for what's about to appear on UK Netflix in May ( The Keepers!) but, as always, it's a case of out with the old and in with the new. So what is disappearing from Netflix at the end of April? (Quick! You have five days left!)

Carey Mulligan's Oscar-nominated turn in An Education is departing, as is the Quentin Tarantino classic Jackie Brown, and the comic book classic (and the film responsible for reviving Hollywood's superhero obsession) X-Men. A couple of documentaries that are well worth a watch before they vanish are Beyond Clueless, which looks at teen films between 1995 and 2004 and That Gal...Who Was In That Thing that interviews character actresses that you will definitely recognise...but know nothing about.

Titles leaving Netflix on 30th April

Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010)
An Education(2009)
Beyond Clueless (2014)
Congo (1995)
Doomsdays (2013)
I Am Road Comic (2014)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Jade (1995)
Last (2015)
Leprechaun (1993)
Planet Hulk (2010)
Red (2010)
Rugrats (1997)
The Substitute (1996)
That Gal...Who Was In That Thing (2015)
Traitor (2008)
Unknown Caller (2014)
Unthinkable (2010)
Urban Legends (2010)
Web Junkie (2013)
Wrong Side Of Town (2010)
X-Men (2000)

Read next: Here's Everything Coming To UK Netflix In May

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Following the news that one in 11 kids’ toys purchased in the UK last year was bought by and for an adult’s use, and that most of those adults were men, we could make plenty of jokes about pale blokes in black hoodies clogging the aisles in Forbidden Planet. But we’ve not got time. Because when it comes to grown-up people living in a permanent kidulthood, it's only the women that miss out.

Tides of feminism have helped women in the west to successfully stretch open the definitions of man-shaped careers and lifestyles. We’re doctors, CEOs, politicians, prime ministers, lawyers, and so much more: financially independent, capable of realising our professional dreams. But for all our abilities, there is still one thing we cannot stretch, and that is time. Should we wish, our bodies are capable of conceiving and giving birth, but only for so long.

I’m 30 next year and, though I’ve never sketched out children in my life’s blueprint, I must understand that what is currently my mind and body’s choice – not to have kids – will, within the next decade or so, be up to my body alone. I hope my mind and body can always agree, but I also hope for trains to run on time and for general world peace.

Permanent kidulthood is great: staying in all day watching Netflix, ducking out of political debates in the pub, eating spaghetti hoops for dinner, leaving dirty washing on the floor and going out for one and coming home at 5am. It’s the joy of an evening LOL-ing at memes on Instagram, dyeing your hair, piercing your face, learning to skateboard in the park, wearing '90s throwback logos, owning a comedy-large Jeremy Scott x Moschino phone case and having fleeting relationships with unsuitable idiots because, well, why not? Being childish doesn’t necessarily harm anyone, does it?

But the cultural phenomenon of babyish millennials indulging their nostalgia is simply a symptom of the problem, the problem being that permanent kidulthood is often not a choice but imposed. And it’s squatting on too many women’s futures.

Women make up 51% of the UK’s population, yet 84% of government cuts fall on us. Mothers, especially young and single ones, are acutely affected, but other women aren’t safe: there's the rise in student fees; obliterated grants; the care crisis affecting those 72% of carers who are women; the beginning of education cuts in a country where 74% of teachers are women; and policing and mental health cuts, which mean that increased awareness and reports of, for instance, sexual assault or anxiety are not met with an increase in services. On top of this, the milestone of home-ownership has been plucked from many people’s paths, replaced with the uncertain pastures of a snap general election and Brexit – for which young people did not vote. David Cameron’s scrapping of the Equality Impact Assessments means there’s no obligation for the government to scrutinise any of its plans for potential gender bias. But men’s relative biological freedom means that, by the time they do feel sufficiently financially and emotionally stable to start a family, even if they’re 65, they can. This is a luxury that women, who also risk succumbing to the gender pay gap the moment they become mothers, do not have.

Egg-freezing schemes, once the preserve of Silicon Valley tech companies like Apple and Google, are now being extolled by the likes of Gemma Collins, the 36-year-old The Only Way Is Essex star. This is no longer a lofty aspiration but just another aspect of ordinary women's lives – a new milestone in itself.

In Dawn O’Porter’s Sunday Times bestseller The Cows, Stella does serious damage to her career, relationships and hair (I won’t spoil any further) in order to conceive. Though it’s fiction, under pressurised circumstances, it’s not unfeasible. And while it flipped our expectations of the once-refreshing Girls to see Hannah Horvath keeping her baby, the truly radical moment was witnessing an out-there female professor employ Hannah, in spite of her impending motherhood.

Moral conservatism has long insisted that all women are potential baby vessels and should act accordingly. While that’s obviously backward, sexist and unworkable, how have we ended up with a Conservative government that does so much to stymie women’s choice to have a choice about one day having kids? “Family values” are used to win votes, but where are the tools to help young women carve a future with a child in it?

The same recent ONS statistics that show many women are waiting longer to have kids credit careerism with helping teen pregnancy rates drop to their lowest on record; young women see their worth outside of reproduction. But how is it that men can languish in permanent infancy, while girls begin a sincere approach to adulthood in their teens?

Maybe toys help certain guys feel better about the kidulthood they, too, are forced into. But what’s the consolation prize for young women destined to find themselves ready for kids only when it’s too late?

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.

This week we're with a 28-year-old Executive Assistant at an investment bank in the City of London. When she moved to the capital she lived first with her sister, then her uncle and, after four years, managed to save up enough for a deposit on a flat – although she does now miss being bill- and rent-free!

She tries to spend less by exploring the free things that London has to offer but invariably winds up in a pub en route... so it doesn't always work out so well...

Industry: Banking
Age: 28
Location: London
Salary: £43,100
Paycheque amount per month: I got a 2% inflation pay increase in March but haven’t had a full paycheque yet as our business changed companies mid-month. I think it will be around £2,385 – will find out end of April! I also make a 2% pension contribution.
Number of housemates: 0

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: Mortgage £845.08/ Service charge £100
Loan payments: Student loan £179 – deducted from my paycheque before I get it.
Utilities: Internet, landline & BT TV £34.99/ Gas & electric £54/ Water £25.74/ Council tax £84.10/ TV licence £12.12
Transportation: £110 for travel card from Penge to London: my commute works out at £2.60 each way. My dad loaned me the money for the yearly travel card as it worked out a lot cheaper than paying weekly or monthly, and I pay him back the £110 per month.
Phone bill: £27.99
Health insurance: £45 – deducted from my paycheque before I get it.
Savings: I have a few online accounts where I try to put a bit of money each month: £150 holiday, £50 birthday and Christmas, £20 for wedding fund (I have a couple of weddings coming up in the next year that I’ll need travel, hotel and gift for), £30 student loan (I’m hoping to have finished paying it back before I turn 31 so if I can overpay a bit for the next couple years I should be able to).
Other: Netflix £7.49, Amazon Prime £7.99, Gym £27.99, Spotify £9.99.
Insurance: Home £18.56, life £12.99, buildings £12.73.

Total £1,641.76

Available to spend for the month: £743.24

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Ed. note: Possession and supply of MDMA, which is a Class A drug, is currently illegal under UK law. Readers should be aware that taking MDMA can result in a number of adverse health effects. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behaviour.

Joe and Stacey tell me that if we’re to Skype about their use of MDMA it has to be between 8am and 10am, after the kids leave for school and before 34-year-old Stacey leaves for her senior post at the medical school of her local university. Like everyone I spoke to for this article, they believe friends and colleagues would be shocked to know they regularly take one of Britain’s most highly classified illegal drugs on date night, but are also keen to impress how helpful they’ve found it to their relationship. “We call it our biannual marriage fire-up,” says Joe.

Joe is ex-army and since his last tour in Afghanistan had been struggling to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a civilian, he was always on the lookout for people carrying guns or the risk of a bomb going off. He was anxious and barely slept. He found everyday interactions with people difficult. One day, after a spell of obsessively thinking about the past, and six weeks of talking therapy and no improvement, Stacey told him, “We need a new way of dealing with this.” With a career in medical literature and a nurse for a mum, Stacey was confident she could find a way through, and began to read about medical trials where MDMA was given to people with PTSD.

Convinced they needed to explore this route, Stacey had difficulty getting her hands on the actual substance. “It took a long time between our initial interest and finding a source of the stuff. Turns out even my shadiest friends didn't know where to get it. After a pleading post to an online forum about where to find a safe source, someone took pity on me and sent some helpful information, which led to us basically mail-ordering it as a powder.” The first two times they took it were “amazingly profound,” said Joe. “We’d been married nine years and talking to each other is a huge component of our relationship. But now we suddenly had new subjects to talk about and assumptions to be questioned.”

MDMA, which can be taken as a powder or pill, is also sold under the names Molly and ecstasy (among others). It’s a synthetic psychoactive drug, which triggers parts of the brain linked with happiness and euphoria, and boosts energy levels. It also boosts empathy. In the United States, the drug was used legally in a therapeutic context for decades, including within couples therapy, until it crossed over into club culture and, in 1985, during the Reagan-era “War on Drugs” was made an illegal Schedule 1 drug. Here in the UK, it’s classified as a Class A drug alongside the likes of cocaine and heroin, but is still widely taken for recreational purposes.

We’d been married nine years...suddenly we had new subjects to talk about and assumptions to be questioned.

Katie Anderson is a British doctoral researcher in applied sciences at London South Bank University. She's completing a PHD called "Navigating intimacy with ecstasy" and has spent much of the last two years speaking to couples who use MDMA as part of their relationship toolkit. After previously researching MDMA users she was keen to pursue the idea that some of its key effects, like openness and empathy, establish the right conditions for building a strong relationship. “It’s an intense, euphoric feeling shared with someone else, and that’s a powerful bonding experience,” Anderson told me. She began her qualitative research in 2015. The first stage involved interviewing 10 couples aged between 24 and 60 who had taken MDMA together five times or more, to hear how the experiences influenced their relationships. The second stage involved diaries in the weeks after taking a planned MDMA "roll".

Anderson is in the final stages of analysing her research and aims to complete the doctorate next year but in the meantime has released some findings from this qualitative research. She has termed the world that her couples entered into when on the drug the "MDMA bubble". Respondents talked about it being a safe space where they knew anything they said would be accepted. Couples disclosed sexual fantasies, the pain of losing a parent or being estranged from close family. One couple went so far as to confess they’d both had an affair.

“I think we keep ourselves protected, we don’t want to get hurt. But when you’re taking the drug, it allows you to take down those walls and just be open to somebody,” respondent Mark said. His partner Jenny agreed: “Sometimes it can be hard in your day-to-day life just to carve out a period of time to let you talk about stuff that’s hard to talk about." In fact, most of the men who Anderson studied reported that it had freed them to be more emotional, both in the MDMA bubble and in everyday life. Joe recalls a conversation that has since changed the way in which he and Stacey relate to each other. “We drilled down on the origin of phrases that caused self-doubt in me and belittled her. I learned how to express myself better so I don’t hurt her.”

The disclosure of sexual insecurities was a common theme. James is 41, married with two children and initially started using MDMA three years ago to try and break down his defensiveness, which he believes is related to his physically abusive childhood. A friend of his took him out to a forest with two other guys and administered the drug, and after that he asked his wife if they could take it together. James felt that his sex drive was higher than his wife’s and that the periods where she didn’t want intercourse were driving a wedge between them. “You get to crystallise the issue. It was powerful for me to say it and powerful for her to hear it.” He told me that it had changed their intimacy. “I had to not feel anything when I was growing up. Feelings were dangerous to express.” He felt the MDMA had been transformative: “What a gift to our relationship.”

Beyond research like Anderson’s into the use of MDMA on a personal level, a body of work is also being carried out in the United States to understand how pure, laboratory-controlled psychoactive drugs could be used for therapy. The US Drug Enforcement Agency recently approved a study by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) on the use of MDMA to treat PTSD; it’s widely believed that by 2021 doctors will be able to prescribe MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people with the condition.

We plan a roll weeks to months in advance. Sometimes we get a hotel room and sometimes we wait until the kids are out of town and do it at our house.

However, in the UK, a massive stigma remains. Anderson told me that the positive aspects of otherwise recreational drugs are “massively under-researched” through lack of funding. Academics Dr. Ben Sessa (University of Bristol) and ex-government drugs advisor Professor David Nutt (Imperial College) have written that MDMA was made illegal by “single-minded politicians” in order to prevent an epidemic of people “writhing on the dance floor.” This led to its therapeutic benefits being overlooked and it posing needless dangers to those who buy it illegally. On the street, it can be cut with harmful substances. It also affects the body’s temperature controls, so people need to be aware of how much water to drink.

All the couples I spoke to were aware of the risks of taking MDMA, and armed themselves with information to make their experiences as safe as possible. “We plan a roll weeks to months in advance, making sure we'll have lots of time to enjoy it and to recover. Sometimes we get a hotel room for the event and sometimes we wait until the kids are out of town and do it at our house. We generally take around 200mg as a single dose, although we've played with several dosing schemes, including taking a smaller starting dose and 'bumping' with another small one after a few hours to stay 'up' a little longer," Stacey told me of her and Joe's MDMA vacations.

The couple also researched what to take afterwards. MDMA works by releasing large amounts of the brain chemical serotonin from certain brain cells. This is what causes MDMA’s mood-elevation effect but, in releasing large amounts of serotonin, MDMA also depletes the brain’s supply and it takes a few days to replenish what was released. That period is often referred to as a comedown. “We ended up with a big list of health supplements that we take before, during and after to help negate some of the more distressing side-effects and make sure our minds are well protected. These include antioxidants, magnesium supplements and serotonin precursors," Stacey explained.

Anderson hopes that her research may one day contribute to MDMA being taken more seriously by the UK medical establishment: “It makes your emotions clearer. It enhances positive emotions and reduces negative ones and this is why MDMA is good for psychotherapy.” Unlike other Class A drugs, MDMA is widely held to be non-addictive in its chemical make-up. Professor Nutt, who was sacked from his position as a government advisor in 2009 for stating that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than many illegal drugs, continues to campaign for closer research into the therapeutic benefits of MDMA and other drugs that have, over time, been rebranded as purely recreational and with high risk attached. "We don't ban morphine for people in pain. So why don't we do exactly the same thing for psychedelics and MDMA?" he told The Huffington Post.

Couples told me that the option of taking MDMA to bring them closer together was important to them but that the subsequent improvements in their relationships meant that, actually, they didn’t feel they needed to continue taking it. Recently, Stacey and Joe realised it’d been nearly four months since they last used MDMA but decided they didn’t need to plan for the next one. They feel using the drug has torn down the barriers between them so they can talk more freely when sober. It was a view shared by James: “It’s not a magic bullet. It’s how you integrate what you learn into your life. Now we say, ‘What is this really about?’”

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There really isn't an excuse not to care about where your clothes come from or not to try to shop more responsibly, especially when there are sustainable fashion retailers as good as Rêve En Vert readily available. Founded in 2013 by friends Natasha Tucker and Cora Hilts, the site, often referred to as the Net-A-Porter for sustainable fashion, offers a beautiful curation of clothing that is as well designed as it is ethically crafted. Providing a platform that is a positive alternative to fast fashion, REV showcases and promotes independent designers who carefully consider their methods.

Earlier this year, Tucker and Hilts shared their wisdom on how we can all make our wardrobes more sustainable. Now, as part of our Fashion Conscience content (go on and check out the rest!), we visited Cora at the REV studio to discuss changing public perception on sustainability, setting up the business and what's in store for the future of REV.

How did you and Natasha meet and when was Rêve En Vert conceived?

I first had the idea for Rêve En Vert (REV) when I was getting my Master’s degree at King’s College. It was quite incidental really, in that a professor of mine was describing the current climate peril and mentioned that fashion was the second-largest contributor to carbon emissions. It was a bit of a eureka moment in that I had been looking for a way to bring together my personal passion for sustainable living with a way to reach masses, and fashion seemed the very obvious bridge at that moment.

Natasha and I had been friends for ages – we met when I was living in Paris about five years earlier – and she was the first person who really got the idea of a curated platform selling sustainable luxury fashion. Honestly, we became business partners over one bottle of wine too many over dinner at the Orange!

You studied environmental politics in London but did you always aspire to work in the fashion industry?

Prior to my degree I worked briefly at Stella McCartney and Christian Louboutin, where I cut my fashion teeth to some extent. Ironically, after those two stints I really hadn’t wanted to get back into the fashion industry unless it could be paired with a bit more substance. REV has given me that opportunity. We always talk about ethics and aesthetics going hand in hand in the company, which means I get to have the best of both worlds.

Which women have inspired you most, personally and professionally, and why?

My mother and my business partner inspire me the most on a daily basis. My mother for being our biggest advocate, an entrepreneur herself, and for teaching me balance in life. Natasha, I simply couldn’t have done this whole journey without! Oh, and Jane Goodall for her commitment to conservation and work with animals.

What advice would you give to one of our readers looking to make more responsible shopping choices and to make their wardrobe more ethical?

I would say, start by asking yourself every time you shop for something, 'Will I still love this in five years?' That was the biggest challenge for me, switching to investment pieces and buying less of more quality. Especially in a world where we are encouraged to consume so much of extremely little value.

What have been the biggest challenges you've faced setting up your own business?

There is no set day, and no guarantees – ever. I am quite naturally a creature of habit and starting a company has made me have to operate as the reverse. You never know when a crisis might arise, an opportunity may present itself or your to-do list goes completely awry. Also there is no one to fall back on. If you don’t figure it out, no one will, and the company will suffer for it. Having a start-up is not for the faint of heart but it has made me stronger than I ever thought possible.

What have been the biggest lessons you've learnt since starting REV?

People will let you down, people will pleasantly surprise you, and shockingly few people care about sustainability, though the environmental and humanitarian issues are present every day!

What does your average working day look like?

I begin with green tea in bed, checking emails (should probably refrain from that first thing but can’t help it), then meet Natasha for coffee next to the office and discuss strategy and visions. We try to get meetings done in the morning then get on a call with our CFO in New York as she is just waking up. Afternoons are more for admin, which can be anything from the new buy, to editorial strategy, to which new designers we are going to bring on. We wrap up around 5.30 and it’s either wine or yoga.

Since you launched Rêve En Vert a few years ago, have you seen a significant shift in how people perceive sustainable and ethical fashion?

Yes, definitely. When I first had the idea for REV five years ago, no one would mention sustainability in the same sentence as luxury fashion. But now we have Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney campaigning for it, Kering Group coming up with sustainable strategies for all of their designers and even fast fashion chains coming out with Conscious Collections. There is still much to be done to advance the conversation but these are huge strides for an industry that has really lagged behind in the realm of ethical progression.

What is in store for the rest of 2017?

We have just brought on several new designers that I am so pleased about, including Mara Hoffman, Maiyet and Filippa K. We will continue to search for lines that are beautiful and ethical, while also expanding our marketing and PR efforts. Finally, as education is such a benchmark to our company I hope that Natasha and I will be able to have many more conversations about the importance of sustainability in fashion!

Further reading

Livia Firth On The Importance Of Sustainability & Slow Fashion
Why I Gave Up Fast Fashion (& How You Can, Too)

... or find everything in 'Fashion Conscience' here.

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Not long ago, Kim Kardashian took to Snapchat to admit that she sometimes sleeps in her makeup in a bid to preserve it (hey, she's a busy woman), while international makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has revealed that her husband has never seen her without it – in fact, she wears eye makeup to bed every night.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about leaving my sharper-than-sharp cat-eye intact until the next morning (makeup lovers, you get it, right?) and I can't be the only one who has crashed after an exhausting day at work (read: wild Thursday drinks), still wearing a full face. Actually, I know I'm not: studies suggest that almost two-thirds of women have done, too.

There are always mixed feelings when you wake up in the morning: 1) That was the last pillowcase and I really must put a wash on, 2) Actually, I'm pretty impressed by the staying power of this foundation, and 3) Wait, that can't have been good for my skin.

But is dodging the cleanser really as bad as everyone makes out? Refinery29 gets the experts involved.

If It's A One-Off

According to skin specialists, if you aren't a repeat offender, there's no reason to freak out – but regularly catching your Zs without consulting your cleanser could lead to one of the most common skin concerns: spots, especially if you bury your face in your pillow.

"The compression of makeup-laden skin to pillow will block natural sebum production," says international facialist and author of Love Your Skin, Abigail James. When skin becomes congested, breakouts can appear left, right and centre.

Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Sam Bunting agrees but mentions that on rare occasions, it isn't as terrible as we're all made to believe. "You might be somewhat prone to breaking out if you sleep face down," she says, "but provided it's a rarity, wearing make-up at night is really no different to wearing it in the daytime. In essence, if you wear a foundation or tinted moisturiser that doesn't break you out during the day, it's not terribly likely to break you out at night."

And it's the same for lashes. "I don't know of any specific reason why sleeping in mascara would harm lashes at night if it's perfectly fine during the day," she says.

Great news, right? Well...

If You Do It All The Time

"The odd night – I mean a couple of times a month – is not going to prematurely age you or result in you waking up with acne" says Abigail, but there is evidence that repeat offenders might be slowing down their skin's regeneration process, which could explain why that youthful glow you covet is pretty elusive right now.

Alicia Falero, head of education at Gazelli Skincare says that "By leaving your makeup on regularly, you're basically putting your cells in a pair of handcuffs," which is something Kirsti Shuba, skin expert and cofounder of Katherine Daniels Cosmetics explains further.

"Our skin cells are naturally renewed and repaired at night – the optimum time is 1am, to be precise – and healthy, new ones are produced," she says. "But if we regularly put off cleansing our skin, we aren't giving those cells the best chance to restore and rehydrate themselves – and this is when the ageing process can accelerate. Your skin will start to look blotchy, dull, dehydrated and lifeless, and fine lines and wrinkles could appear. This sort of damage could take a while to reverse."

But that's not all, because leaving makeup on during the night means you'll also be missing out on myriad miracle skincare products launching into the beauty sphere every day – and with cult brands like Farmacy and The Ordinary churning out groundbreaking ingredients quicker than it takes us to nod off, this is a real shame.

"If you sleep in makeup regularly, your skin is not getting the benefits of night-time leave-on products like retinoids," says Dr. Bunting, "so in summary, sleeping in makeup should be an exception, not the rule."

Kirsti agrees and says that our laziness could even be burning a hole in our pocket: "Any skincare products you apply to skin that hasn't been cleansed properly won't work to their full potential," she says. "They will simply sit on a layer of dead cells, pollution and excess oil and, essentially, this is a waste of money."

The Lazy Girl's Guide To Quick Cleansing

The thought of trudging to the sink to wash off every scrap of makeup after a heavy night out can feel even more demanding than gearing up to run the London Marathon but, in this case, it's okay to cheat. A little.

According to Knightsbridge-based facialist Pietro Simone and Dr. Bunting, micellar water is the lazy girl's best bet. "Keep a big bottle of Bioderma's Sensibio H20 Micellar Water by the bed with a heap of cotton pads," says Dr. Bunting. "It's better than a wipe as it's less likely to clog pores, and even though it isn't as good as a proper water-based cleanse – which removes dead skin cells, pollution and excess oil – it's an acceptable shortcut if done every so often."

Vanesha Moustapha, director and beauty therapist at ColourNation seconds this. "Grab a 3-in-1 makeup remover – it'll take a minimum of two minutes, which isn't long at all. Even if you're feeling tired and lazy, please don't be with your skin!"

And according to Pietro, cleansing before bed is the least we can do for our skin, especially considering everything else we fling at it during the day. "Sleeping in makeup regularly is only going to accelerate the ageing and inflammation processes," he warns. "Already, our lifestyles are full of stress, chemical agents, pollution and processed food and drink containing sugar, so we need to be aware that cleansing, toning and moisturising means protecting."

But if you really just cba, brands like Neal's Yard, Johnson & Johnson and The Estée Edit have given face wipes an identity overhaul, drenching their towelettes with ingredients like aloe vera and other soothing plant extracts to minimise irritation. Just don't fall into a skincare rut – if used at all, it should be on a one-off basis.

If You're Going To Do It, Do It In Something Lightweight

"I think the gravity of this skin sin is very much dependent on what makeup you are using," says Dr. Bunting. "Heavy-duty, long-wear foundations are occlusive and therefore very likely to promote acne and sleeping in it will take the situation to Defcon 5. But if your makeup is well chosen, not much will happen, provided it's a rarity."

So if you're prone to falling asleep with your slap intact, it pays to be savvy. "While I would always recommend removing makeup before bed – and I always cleanse with organic coconut oil – there are some great products out there which are really lightweight on the skin," says professional makeup artist, Gabriella Floyd.

"The Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation provides perfect sheer-to-medium coverage that'll give you supermodel skin in an instant and it's really delicate. For blush, my go-tos are the Nars Multiple Sticks and for a quick bronzer, it has to be the Chanel Tan de Soleil – it's so blendable."

Mineral types, such as Jane Iredale, Inika and bareMinerals are also gentle on the skin, says Abigail. "Minerals are totally natural and are actually hugely beneficial and balancing, but do watch out for 'oil-free' makeup. It really makes no difference because there are still artificial colours, fragrances and silicones smothering your skin at night."

Sweet dreams.

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We all do it. We gorge on chocolate biscuits after getting bad news, plunge our faces into a bowl of stodgy pasta after a stressful day at work, or guzzle a tub of Ben & Jerry’s to forget our pain during a breakup.

These situations sound cliché – and that’s because they are. Emotional eating – eating when we’re experiencing negative emotions – is normal and, while it’s not necessarily “bad”, it doesn’t solve our problems and we usually feel like crap afterwards.

So, why do we do it? According to new research, the way our parents fed us as we were growing up could be partly to blame. Children whose parents feed them to soothe their emotions are more likely to become “emotional eaters” as adults.

The research, published in the journal Child Development, analysed emotional feeding and eating in 801 Norwegian 4-year-olds, examining them again at ages 6, 8 and 10 to determine the impact of parents on their eating behaviour. It’s the first time emotional eating has been studied in school-age children, the researchers said.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the children showed some emotional eating. Children whose parents offered them food to soothe them at age 4 and 6 were more likely to emotionally eat at ages 8 and 10.

The parents of these children would offer food to make them feel better, but the reverse was also true – parents were more likely to “emotionally feed” their child if the child was more easily comforted by food.

“Thus, emotional feeding increased emotional eating, and emotional eating increased emotional feeding,” the researchers said.

Understanding the origins of emotional eating is important, “because such behaviour can increase the risk for being overweight and developing eating disorders," said Dr. Silje Steinsbekk, associate professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who led the study.

"If we can find out what influences the development of emotional eating in young children, parents can be given helpful advice about how to prevent it."

Many of us will remember being offered sweets to quell a childhood tantrum or instil good behaviour. Children love eating junk and stressed-out parents need an easy way to stop them from acting up. But this research offers a valuable insight into the potential consequences of such emotional feeding.

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Line of Duty’s relentless pace and heart-stopping, twisty turns have had six million of us shrieking at the TV like one giant, deranged Gogglebox family over the past five weeks.

Whether it was the moment DS Steve Arnott was left for dead and flung down the stairs (‘ Noooooo!’), or the bit when forensics expert Tim Ifield lunged at DCI Roz Huntley with a chainsaw (‘ Whaaaat?!’), the fourth series of the hit BBC drama has certainly not scrimped on shocks. And with the electrifying finale now fast looming, a little more collective jaw-dropping is definitely on the cards.

As it stands, Roz – played by an ice-cool Thandie Newton – looks in it up to her neck, and the penultimate episode saw her play a blinder in arresting her own husband Nick for Tim Ifield’s murder.

But those familiar with Jed Mercurio’s outrageously OTT plot-lines know that nothing is ever what it seems. And with a gazillion loose ends to tie up, these are the five biggest questions at the heart of this gripping series. Roll on Sunday…

Who the hell is Balaclava Man?
At the crux of the case, the identity of the mystery masked attacker has been a nagging doubt since episode one. Fingers first pointed at the innocent Michael Farmer, then Tim Ifield and Nick Huntley.

Since then, social media has been ablaze with theories that the culprit could in fact be Nick’s shady solicitor pal, Jimmy Lakewell – especially as we now know he has previous links to Michael Farmer. Others reckon that the man donning the sinister black hood is none other than big boss ACC Derek Hilton.

Frankly, the mind still boggles over this one.

Surely Roz won’t walk free. Will she?
One thing that’s never been in doubt is Roz Huntley’s guilt. But can anyone fathom exactly what she’s done? Nope, us neither.

Regardless, she’s so manipulative that you can easily imagine her wriggling free of the law and waltzing off into the sunset, pocketing a hefty divorce settlement in the process.

Alternatively, young underling Jodie – aka smarmy teacher’s pet – might just see the light and prove instrumental in bringing her wily boss to justice.

P.S. That hairbrush Roz was tampering with in the last episode? Watch it like a hawk.

What’s the significance of the letter ‘H’?
This is where things get really confusing. At the end of series three, corrupt DI Dot Cottan gave a dying exclamation, in which he claimed he had been protecting a senior officer with the initial ‘H’ all along.

In last week’s episode, Hilton presented Superintendent Ted Hastings with leaked footage of the declaration and accused him of being the H in question. Hastings (who surely can’t be a baddie) quickly pointed the finger straight back at Hilton, setting us up for an almighty final reveal on Sunday.

Why did Maneet do the dirty on her team?
In series three, PC Maneet Bindra was key to cracking the case and rooting out evil DI Cottan. This time around, she’s turned mole and has been leaking ultra-sensitive AC-12 material (including the dying exclamation) to Hilton. Her actions even cost young DC Jamie Desford his job.

We know she wasn’t happy about snitching on her team – hence her tears as she left the force. But the conundrum is, what hold does Hilton have over her – and why?

Is this the end for Steve?
Poor old DS Arnott. No police officer on earth has ever endured such a colossal chain of misfortune. Now in a wheelchair, thanks to Balaclava Man, we last saw him struggling to cope in his poky little flat, with DS Kate Flynn surveying his upturned furniture and filthy crockery in disbelief.

As he fought back tears, Steve gave a strong hint that he may never walk again – casting his future in the series into major doubt (DC Desford is even being tipped as his replacement).

With Jed Mercurio famed for ruthlessly dispensing with major characters, he has stressed that "no one is safe”, meaning it really could be curtains for Arnott. (Sob.)

At least there’s not too long until we find out all the answers. Brace yourselves, people…

Line of Duty concludes on Sunday 30th April on BBC1 at 9pm

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You’ve got less than two weeks to spend all your old fivers before the paper note loses its status as legal tender on Friday 5th May.

From next week, shops and restaurants will no longer take the old currency and will only accept the new polymer £5 note, which launched last September. The two notes have co-existed since the new, more durable note was introduced.

There could be as many as 160 million of the old paper notes still in circulation, according to an estimation from the Bank of England last month.

In an ideal world, we’d spend all our notes in time – but, we’re human. So, what should you do if you find a stray note after 5th May?

Luckily, all is not lost. The Post Office and some banks and building societies may still accept the old notes, but this is at their discretion and you’ll need to be a customer of the bank to exchange your notes, The Sun reported.

Alternatively, you can exchange the old £5 notes with the Bank of England, which will continue to accept them forever, as it does with all old notes that are no longer legally in circulation. You can do this either in person or via post, but the latter option is obviously a little riskier.

If you discover a ream of old notes in your piggy bank or under the bed and need to exchange them all, you’ll be asked to show ID, such as a passport or driving licence.

Following the new £5 note, the Bank of England also plans to release a new £10 this summer, which will feature author Jane Austen, and a new £20 note with an image of painter JMW Turner will be released in three years' time.

However, some have questioned whether the Bank of England should be going to all this trouble to renew our currency. Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of money.co.uk, said it was "crazy" that the old fivers will become "worthless" from next Friday.

She added: "With more of us using cards and contactless payments to pay, the worth of going to all this effort to replace what soon could be a redundant medium is questionable."

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How exactly should we behave on our work email accounts? Are GIFs unprofessional? What about swearing? And is it ever safe to gossip about that super annoying colleague? It's a minefield.

But thankfully one group of researchers has shed a glimmer of light on the matter. Apparently, one of the worst things you can do is to CC your boss in on emails. Research on the so-called “CC effect” suggests it makes everyone else in the office distrust you.

Writing in the Harvard Business Review, David De Cremer, a professor of management studies at Cambridge University's Judge Business School, said that while you may think copying in a boss or manager fosters transparency, in fact, it actually spawns a “culture of fear and low psychological safety”.

De Cremer and his team carried out a series of experiments on 594 working adults, in which participants read a scenario and were asked to imagine that their colleague always, sometimes or almost never copied in the supervisor when emailing them. Participants were then asked to rate how trusted they would feel by their colleague.

Consistently, participants felt significantly less trusted in the scenarios where the boss was always CCed. Further surveys of 394 employees found similar results – employees felt less trusted by their colleague the more often he or she perceived their colleague copied their boss in emails.

Not only did the employee feel less trusted, they also inferred “that the organisational culture must be low in trust overall, fostering a culture of fear and low psychological safety,” added De Cremer.

Transparency in electronic communications therefore isn't the "holy grail" that will boost workplace efficiency and collaboration, and bosses should consider tackling the "CC effect" if they want to maintain trust within their teams, De Cremer concluded.

Not only does copying people in on emails waste time and mental energy, and clutter up their inbox, then, it could also make your colleagues dislike you as well. You have been warned.

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A new report suggests that the factory workers producing Ivanka Trump's clothing line are being severely overworked and underpaid. A financial audit released on Monday by the Fair Labour Association, obtained by the Washington Post, shows that Chinese manufacturers used by G-III Apparel Group, which has owned the license for the First Daughter's eponymous brand since 2012, routinely had its employees work overtime exceeding the legal limit, while making less than minimum wage and oftentimes without receiving benefits, in 2016.

The factory inspected by the Fair Labor Association last year belongs to G-III, which also owns the licensing for brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Karl Lagerfeld. According to the organisation's findings, approximately 80 factory workers at that particular facility endure exhausting hours and receive pay near or below China’s minimum wage, with high turnover rates. According to China's Labour Bulletin, the standard work week in China is 40 hours long, and overtime pay is capped at 36 extra hours per month. However, it seems that the factory workers producing Ivanka Trump's clothing are being paid as little as £1 per hour to produce her dresses and shoes, which retail for £120 an item, on average. While the report didn't release the factory's name or location, it also revealed that the building violated dozens of labor laws during a two-day tour in October.

While G-III owns several factories across Asia, including Vietnam and Bangladesh, data obtained by the Post shows that Chinese factories are the dominant makers and suppliers of Ivanka Trump clothing, and have shipped more than 110 tons of the label's clothing to the U.S. since October. The line is licensed by President Trump's private business, which he divested from upon taking office in January, and is produced almost entirely in foreign countries. Before the Fair Labor Association's report, there was little information about how and where Ivanka Trump Collection was made, per Racked.

A representative for G-III provided the following statement to Refinery29: "Our manufacturing facilities in China are routinely audited by a highly experienced team, utilising protocols and practices in keeping with industry standards. These factories are also routinely audited by third party groups - such as the Fair Labor Association. The report issued by them this week detailed several situations that we either corrected or are working diligently to correct. Our goal is to always attain and maintain the best labor conditions possible in these factories. "

G-III was in the news just last week for mistakenly relabelling Ivanka Trump merchandise to be sold at discount stores. It's not the first time the licensing company comes under fire for the apparent inconsistencies between its business practices and Trump's public persona: In August, G-III was criticised for its maternity leave policy — or, rather, lack thereof — which directly contradicted the message being put forth by the now-First Daughter, who was still involved with her namesake brand. (She stepped down in January, right before the Inauguration.)

During a recent visit to Germany, the mogul-turned-assistant-to-the-president championed her father's commitment to women in the workplace, which was met with boos and hisses from the audience. And in an essay in the Financial Times, Ivanka Trump wrote that the government "can add billions to the global economy by creating an enabling environment," and "improving the productivity of [women's] work." Her latest book on the topic, Women Who Work, debuts next week.

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Several months ago, photographer Bobby Rogers created a project celebrating the lives of people living at a particularly difficult intersection of identities — those who are both Black and Muslim.

Like the subjects in his photos, we all live at intersections of race, sexuality, gender identity, socioeconomic class, disability status, and more identities that shape our experiences.

Some of these intersecting identities hold power and privilege over others (i.e., a straight white cisgender man has a much easier life than a queer trans woman of color). Those of us living at the crossroads of multiple marginalised identities know that attempting to overcome that privilege, or even just live with its constant, suffocating presence, can be disheartening — which may be why this photo series is striking for so many.

Rogers tweeted several photos of Black Muslim people, whom he calls "some of the most resilient human-beings in the world," last week and the project has since been picked up by outlets such as Mic and Mashable.

The project was inspired by people using #BeingBlackAndMuslim on Twitter, Rogers said in the stream of tweets when he shared the images.

"There is an increasingly prejudicial connection being made between Blackness & Islam which fuels the erasure of Black Muslims in pop culture," he wrote. "Simply existing at the axis of # BeingBlackandMuslim can be exhausting. You're always not enough. Always having to validate your existence."

Rogers has posted nine photos so far, accompanied with quotes about #BeingBlackAndMuslim, but plans to continue the project.

Check out his photo series here.

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If contemporary rap is an industry that creates only slightly varying carbon copies of its performers, today’s R & B scene is the woke cousin from out of town trying to set rap free. There is a new class of singers, many of them women, who are setting the soundtrack for Tumblr cool kids, #carefreeblackgirls (and boys), and music snobs alike. Too futuristic to be neo soul, but still too soulful for the pop crowd, these indie artists are tapping into a cross-section of market that's only focused on the music being good.

The term “indie” doesn’t necessarily mean an independent artist or one signed to an independent label. It’s true that artists are less reliant on major labels to attain success. Musicians are building followings on social media large enough to sustain their passions without the bureaucracies of big record labels. Some of them are winning Grammys in the process. This has opened up the market to a diversity of creative sounds, and it's taught record execs a thing or two about putting all of their eggs in one basket. As such, some of these artists have been scooped up by labels.

So what do I mean by indie? It’s a genre that encompasses artists with unique personal styles. Some of these artists have exchanged the powerful runs and high notes of Beyoncé for softer, waspy notes. They reject the idea that marketable R & B only exists as a hybrid of pop or hip-hop, like much of Rihanna’s catalogue. These artists experiment with sounds and draw inspiration from both the past and the future. They’re the musical embodiments of old souls and new waves.

Click through to check out some of my favourites and catch a vibe.

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It has not been easy to watch The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu's latest scripted endeavour, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, feels as contemporary as ever. In a world where a woman's right to choose seems newly threatened on the daily, watching a series about the world's last remaining fertile women being used as "hosts" for the children of elite men is, frankly, chilling. Hearing a woman reduced to "whore" and blamed for the rape committed against her is nauseating — not because these things never happen in our world, but because, somewhere on the globe, they have.

We are witness to this new world order through the eyes of Offred, a woman torn from her daughter and forced to work as a "handmaid" for Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes). Offred — whose real name is June — is portrayed by Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss, an actress capable of revealing June's inner life with merely a glance. The role was by no means an easy one, but one that Moss, who spoke with Refinery29 at the Handmaid's Tale press day, revealed was an extremely important one.

How does The Handmaid's Tale fit into our political climate in 2017?

"Unfortunately, the parallels are undeniable, between the issues that are talked about on the show and the issues that are currently on the table in our country. It's an unfortunate relevance."

Were there any specific scenes in the show where you thought 'This could happen in 2017?'

"All of them, in a way. We're not quite there yet, thankfully. Margaret talks about this, about the minute the police... open fire on the protest is a turning point. That's not something that hasn't happened in history. Obviously, we've had many protests that have ended in brutality. Thankfully, with the Women's March, we were allowed to protest. There are certain things [in the show] that maybe haven't gotten there yet, but at the same time, everything in the book has happened at some point in history. Margaret has been very specific about that. Everything in that book has happened at some point, and sometimes in America, which I think is important to remember.

"I see shades of it. When people take away your right to protest, when they take away your right to do what you want with your body, when people use the word 'host' to describe women, it sends chills down your spine. It would if I wasn't on this show. So I see shades, terrifying, chilling shades of [the real world], everyday."

You spoke about how the sex scenes were never easy to film on the show. What was the most challenging part of filming those scenes?

"The most challenging thing is figuring out what happens in that situation. I chose to, in the first [ceremony scene we shot], that in that situation — which is really a sexual assault — my choice was to go somewhere else... To be present would be too painful. [The scene] is a rape, it's non-consensual sex, but [Offred] can't physically fight back. There's nothing she can do... Any time you take away someone's right to choose something, that's oppression. These women are in this prison system. If they fight back they'll be abused, or killed, or maimed. They may be walking around and looking docile and looking like they're not fighting back, but they are completely enslaved."

What was the hardest scene to film?

"The ceremony is hard, but I think besides the ceremony scene, which is unpleasant and difficult to do and be in that moment... I welcome the challenges of my job, so the more 'difficult' scene the more I enjoy doing my job. There's one scene at the end of episode 3 where I get interrogated by Ann Dowd [who plays Aunt Lydia], and I don't move until I'm hit with the cattle prod. I basically stand on one spot and go through this emotional arc. That was challenging... There's a scene in episode 10, which, when it airs, I will be able to talk about as my hardest scene."

Recently there was some controversy over The Handmaid's Tale cast not using the word "feminism" to describe the series at a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival. What was your reaction to that backlash?

"I welcome any time feminism enters a conversation. I would firstly say, obviously, it is a feminist work. This is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I've been filming it for six months, I've been involved with it for a year, I've read the book nine million times. It is a feminist show, it is a feminist book, and as a card-carrying feminist, I am proud of that. [Regarding the controversy at the TriBeca Film Festival panel], I think there is a very important word, which is 'also.' I think that it is a feminist work, and it is also a humanist work, which is what I believe Margaret says as well, so I'll defer to the author of the book on that one.

"Women's rights are human rights, hence how it becomes a humanist work. I also welcome this conversation, I wouldn't even categorise it as a backlash, in my opinion. Yes, let's talk about this. It's when we don't talk about it, and when we aren't allowed to air our opinions, is when we run into a problem. Let's talk. Let's bring it into the conversation."

When did you read The Handmaid's Tale for the first time?

"I read it for the first time as a teenager, but it almost feels like I didn't because my relationship with it is so much deeper and more personal now. It's almost like a different book to me, because now I know it inside and out... and yet I feel like I could read it again and discover new things about it. In fact that will happen to me now, I'll come across a new passage in the book, and be like 'Oh, right!' It's just so complex... There's a difference between reading something in an abstract way, and reading it knowing you're going to play [one of the characters]."

Was there any scene that made you particularly emotional?

"Yeah. The day after the [2016 Presidential] election, [Joseph Fiennes, who plays The Commander] and I had a scene and it was one... where we quote from the book... He says 'We were trying to make things better,' and Offred goes 'Better?' and he says 'Better doesn't always mean better for everyone. It's always worse for some.' And I couldn't help but feel stabbed in the heart. Any emotion you see in that scene is very real. That doesn't always happen. I'm an actor, I literally fake things, I pretend. I'm not a method actor at all. It was completely involuntary. I couldn't help but feel affected by that, given the [results] of the election."

How do you prepare to get into your role?

"I always make a playlists. In this case I made two: One for Offred, One for June. It's forever expanding, I'm always adding and putting new things in it. I put our composer [Adam Taylor's] music in it for the show, because he was composing music as we went along... For me it's not about getting into an emotional dark place, it's just about not being distracted, shutting down any outside noise a little bit... Often on set there are a lot of people around, and sometimes you can engage with people... and I do that all the time, but sometimes you need to preserve your energy a little bit. It's all about not exhausting yourself."

What's on your playlists for Offred and June?

"Offred is mostly soundtracks and orchestral. A lot of Max Richter. Clint Mansell, [who did] The Fountain soundtrack, there's always a lot of Philip Glass on my playlists. Johan Johansson... Radiohead, the latest album. "Burn The Witch?" Listen to this song. It's like it was written for The Handmaid's Tale.

"For June, it's more contemporary. Again, Radiohead. There's this song by Allman Brown called "Sons And Daughters..." I sent it to [O-T Fagbenle], who plays Luke, because I think this is Luke and June's song. There's a song called "Slip" by Elliot Moss which is Nick and June's song. Muse, "Madness." [June's playlist] is more contemporary."

The Handmaid's Tale uses a lot of '80s songs, including Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" and Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me." Can you talk about why those music choices were made?

"I found [that version of 'Heart Of Glass.'] I was looking for Philip Glass music, and I came across that, it's Glass mixed with Blondie... I thought it was the most perfect song for the show. I played it for [director Reed Morano,] and Anne Crabtree our costume designer, and we all just fell in love with it... Reed decided to put in the show during the protest scene, which is the perfect place for it. That song gives me chills just talking about it.

"For ['Don't You Forget About Me,' which plays when Offred returns home], we were shooting that scene, and Reed and I just felt like we were in an '80s movie with that scene... I'm feeling super good, and then walking down the stairs to the driveway I see my crush, I think he likes me too, and we just felt like this was an '80s movie scene. So we thought, well, what's a great '80s song? And The Breakfast Club song came to mind. We didn't even think we'd be able to do it, but luckily thanks to Hulu and MGM, who have been so supportive of our choices, we were able to get it and use it in the show."

The first series of The Handmaid's Tale is shown on Channel 4 on Sundays at 9pm.

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Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world and yet many of the biggest global fashion brands are reluctant to accept culpability and overhaul their unethical practices, failing to provide transparency on their supply chains. Thankfully, Eco-Age, founded in 2007, is one company educating brands on how to improve their practices and production with bespoke sustainability solutions.

With an impressive client list that includes Erdem, Net-A-Porter, Gucci and Marks & Spencer, Eco-Age's expert consultancy team visit clients' suppliers to experience, first-hand, the conditions and environments in which the brands' employees work. They subsequently make recommendations, working closely with brands and suppliers. Eco-Age's criteria align with principles covering social justice, corporate accountability and environmental stewardship. At the end of the process, the Green Carpet Challenge Brandmark is awarded to those brands that are deemed socially responsible.

We caught up with cofounder and creative director, Livia Firth, to discuss changing attitudes towards fast fashion and why she is so committed to campaigning about sustainability.

Eco-Age was conceived just before a trip you made to Bangladesh in 2008. What did you witness on your visit there and how did it change your approach to fashion?

I went to Bangladesh for the first time in 2008 with journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle as an Oxfam ambassador for one of their campaigns on the ground against domestic violence. When we were in Dhaka we asked to be smuggled into a garment factory and what we saw was shocking. There were armed guards at the only entrance/exit of the factory, and inside it was so hot, all the windows were closed and had bars and there was no ventilation. It felt like a prison. Each floor was crammed with women on production lines where they had to complete 100/150 pieces an hour (today it is actually more) and they only had one or two toilet breaks a day. No sick leave, no freedom of association, no protection at all. When I came back home I could not pretend I didn’t see it, I hadn’t witnessed what we were (and still are) doing to women on the other side of the world who produce our (fast fashion) clothes.

That trip was almost a decade ago. Have you seen a significant change and improvement in working conditions for garment workers, fashion brands' production and public perception of sustainable and ethical clothing?

Since this trip, Rana Plaza happened in 2013 (the garment factory collapse which killed more than 1,100 people, mostly women) and the world saw what Lucy and I saw a few years earlier. I went back to Bangladesh two years ago to see what happened after that. Nothing much has changed on the ground, in spite of efforts from various NGOs tackling mostly the issue of health and safety in garment factories. The minimum wage in Bangladesh has not moved in the last three years and it is one of the lowest in the world, and subcontracting is still a norm. I could talk for hours about it or you can watch The True Cost documentary (available on Netflix) to get a real understanding about how complex the issue really is. Fortunately, consumer awareness has increased and more people want to know how and where their clothes have been made.

Fashion activism is very on-trend at the moment, with many brands positioning themselves as feminist and claiming to champion diversity. Unfortunately, there's still a stigma attached to sustainable fashion and generally it isn't deemed cool or a priority for most shoppers. Why do you think that is?

I do not agree at all, actually. I think people love to share the stories behind their clothes and are willing to pay a bit more to know that someone (usually women) further down the supply chain hasn’t been exploited for a cheap dress that we might wear just once.

#NeverForgotten #RanaPlazaAnniversary #Bangladesh #GarmentWorkers #RememberingRanaPlaza

A post shared by Eco-Age (@ecoage) on Apr 24, 2017 at 2:12am PDT

Butfast fashion is somewhat of a class issue . For many people, investing in premium clothing that is ethically made and avoiding more affordable brands isn't financially viable. Is that a fair argument?

Fast fashion has made us think that it is democratic and almost our 'duty' to buy so cheaply – but it is the democracy of who? Not of the women who make the clothes, who are enslaved in a circle of poverty out of which they will never get in order to make those clothes for us. And the fast fashion brand owners are not multimillionaires because of people who can’t afford to buy clothes... It’s because we buy relentlessly and without thinking, and we have started to see fashion as disposable. We rarely think of clothes as investments anymore, treating each piece as a treasure. No, we buy on impulse and constantly. Like eating sugar and fast food… it’s this consumption frenzy which defines our era. And it’s fuelled by cheap, disposable clothes.

What would be your advice to our readers who want to start to shop more responsibly or build a more ethical wardrobe?

Generally – just buy less! Buy only things you really, really love and know you will wear for a long, long time. This is why at Eco-Age we came up with the #30wears campaign. At the moment of buying something, ask yourself 'Will I wear it a MINIMUM of 30 times?' If the answer is yes, then buy it. You will be so surprised how many times, though, the answer is actually no. And going beyond this, there truly are plenty of ethical brands today to shop.

If you could speak directly to the most culpable corporations who are not only affecting the environment but the lives of millions of garment workers, how would you urge them to change?

Get serious about this and change your business model! Unless that changes, nothing ever will. They can’t keep producing those huge volumes of clothes, so fast and at those incredibly cheap prices without using slave labour. Although they want us to think they can… But if you do the maths, it actually does not add up.

Which are your favourite fashion brands and/or individuals, whose ethos you most respect and are inspired by?

There are some great brands, such as Behno, Veja, Bottletop, Wrad and incredible organisations such as Artisans of Fashion and Nest. There are so many Instagram accounts to follow – of course @ecoage but also @notjustalabel, @thewearness_, @sustainablychic, @ethicalfashionblogger, @projectjust and many more!

The fashion industry is in a state of flux, with brands exploring the see-now-buy-now model and combining menswear and womenswear on the catwalk. Do you think we as consumers could move on from fast fashion just as quickly as we embraced it?

I think we totally can – why not? What’s stopping us?

The majority of garment workers are women and it really is a feminist issue. What facts would you share with young women to make them fully aware of the gravitas of the situation?

I think no one ever said it better than Ali Hewson, who launched the brand Edun. She famously said, 'We carry with us the stories of the people who make our clothes'. Well… I certainly do not want to carry a sad story, a story of exploitation and suffering. Think about not only the environmental footprint of what you wear, but about each and every handprint of your clothes…

Follow Eco-Age on Instagram @ecoage

Further reading

From Field & Factory To Shop Floor: The Journey Of Your Clothes
Why Aren't Ethical Fashion Brands Catering To Plus-Size Women?

...or find everything in 'Fashion Conscience' here.

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